Concern raised as borehole cable theft at Philadelphia hospital leads to water shortage

The Limpopo Department of Health has expressed serious concern about incidents of cable theft at Philadelphia hospital which has resulted in water shortages at the hospital.

The MEC for Limpopo Department of Health, Dr Phopi Ramathuba expressed sadness after reports of cable theft which have caused shortage of water at the hospital.

Department spokesperson Thilivhali Muavha says the borehole is outside the hospital premises. Philadephia hospital is one of the facilities that rely on boreholes for water supply.

He says engineers could not find underground water within the hospital premises during drilling processes but was found outside the premises, and this is common in many of their institutions.

Muavha said a borehole was connected to pump water to the hospital, unfortunately the cable responsible for aiding this process was stolen.

He said Ramathuba has indicated that what saddens her is that the person responsible for this crime is the same person who relies on the facility for healthcare needs.

“Health MEC Dr. Phopi Ramathuba appreciates the temporary intervention by our local municipality wherein though water tankers we can access water in the hospital.”

Meanwhile, the theft of 10-metres of copper wiring cable from a secured room at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto, south of Johannesburg, which housed pipes supplying oxygen to sections of the main ICU, is believed to be an inside job.

Hospital staff were left scrambling to shift 24 patients from the ICU after oxygen levels dropped drastically in the early hours of Monday morning.

According to Victor Moreriane of the Gauteng department of infrastructure development, there were no clear visible signs of forced entry into the plant room.

Moreriane said the room was access controlled and only a person who has an access card could have entered.

“It is an area that is well secured, you even use an access card to gain entry. It is very clear that an access card was used to gain entry.”

Source: Sowetan Live, Capricorn FM, Jacaranda FM, image from Twitter: @JacaNews

Doctor Mahlaule

Doctor Mahlaule previously worked as a Freelance Journalist at Find-it SA where he was responsible for writing news articles and sharing them on social media platforms. Doctor Mahlaule holds a Diploma in Journalism, BA in Communication Science and a BA Honours in Media Studies. Doctor began his journey as a knowledge Management and Communications Intern at Zenex Foundation. He was responsible for support in event management, social media, website maintenance, writing and brand management. On weekends Doctor attends prison ministry and shares the scriptures with inmates at Krugersdorp prison and plays soccer in the afternoon on some weekends. He has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys going out with friends and socialising in his spare time. He has a one-year-old son and is planning on getting married soon. When asked about what keeps him going, he said: “My family keeps me going. I’m the man I am because I come from a loving home. I have a very supportive family who always encourages me to keep pushing hard.”

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